I said it once...

And I will say it again,

SPAMMERS/HACKERS SHOULD BE HUNG BY THEIR WAZZOOS.

Or be dealt with this kitty's intentions.



Last weekend, my firewall got breached and a [unprintable expletive] hacker got my Google password. My Gmail password and alternate email got changed and I spent several frustrating days trying to email Google that I couldn't access my account. So I gave up on this blog and created a new blog instead
A Box of Jalapenos (part 2). Like Murphy's Law, Google came through and gave me my Google account back.

Great. Now I have two blogs. Well, what the heck. From now on, my newest blog would deal mainly with food and recipes. This old blog will be mostly family updates and other topics such as the perils and tribulations of living abroad.

Corned Beef with Cabbage Filipino Style

When I was little, I would love to read the Manila Bulletin newspaper comic section. It was a full-page of comics ranging from US cartoon strips (Peanuts, Spiderman, The Phantom, etc) but what really got my attention was a strip called "Bringing Up Father". The mom in the cartoon, Maggie, would ask Jiggs what he wanted for supper. The answer was always Corned Beef and Cabbage.

I once asked my mom to fix it and she said that she has always been fixing it. Then she pointed out that our lunch that day was corned beef and cabbage. I knew it wasn't the same thing that Jiggs wanted for supper but the Filipino version is still very tasty and satisfying.

So, I'm sharing my mom's recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage. What we use is the canned corned beef called "Argentina Corned Beef". Click here to see what it looks like: Argentina Corned Beef. It's a tiny can, maybe as big a round like a tomato paste can.

Recipe:

1 can Argentina corned beef
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp corn oil
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into shreds
2 cups beef stock or 1 beef boullion cube + 2 cups water

1. In a wok, heat up the oil and fry the garlic until golden-brown. Add the onion slices and stir-fry until the onions are translucent.

2. Open the can of corned beef and dump the contents into the pan. Stir-fry everything for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry everything for a minute.

3. Add the beef stock. Cover and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, take the cover off and let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked (to your liking, I like mine a still with some crunch).

4. Take off the heat and serve into bowls.

This is a good side dish for fried fish like "galunggong" (Scad). Of course, with freshly cooked rice, too.

Ampalaya and Sardinas (Bitter Gourd with Sardines in Tomato Sauce)

I used to hate "ampalaya" or Bitter Gourd in English. It is also called "amargoso" in some parts of the Philippines. Ampalaya is usually served thinly sliced with beaten egg (like a veggie scrambled egg stir-fry) or sauteed with beef slices and then drenched with a thick oyster sauce-based dressing.

What changed my mind about the ampalaya? My friend and neighbor Elena had a vegetable garden and she grew ampalaya there. She kept trying to give me ampalaya fruit which I constantly refused, recalling my childhood days of being forced to eat the bitter vegetable. She assured me that her ampalaya wasn't that bitter and with proper preparation, most of the bitterness would be gone anyway. I changed my mind and accepted several ampalaya fruit. It was wonderful. And not bitter at all.

The ampalaya dish I made today for breakfast is Ampalaya and Sardinas (Canned Sardines in Tomato Sauce). The sardines I used is of the Ligo brand (I think the most popular canned sardines in the Philippines). You can get for a buck here (which means it's probably 40 to 50 cents back in Manila.

So on to the recipe.

RECIPE

1 medium-sized ampalaya
1 can of sardines in tomato sauce (any brand will do, even the spicy one)
1/4 cup rock salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil

1. Wash the ampalaya, cut the ends off and then cut in half. Using a spoon, scrape the inner white portion of the fruit (that has seeds in it) until you come to the firm green flesh. Cut into thin slices, pile into a bowl and mix thoroughly with rock salt. (This will leach most of the bitterness out of the sliced ampalaya). Set aside.

2. Get a wok or pan and set over medium fire. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the garlic and fry until golden-brown. Then add the onion slices and stir-fry until the onion is translucent.

3. Wash and rinse the ampalaya slices. Drain and add the ampalaya to the pan. Stir-fry everything for about 2 minutes.

4. Open the can of sardines and dump everything into the pan. Add about a can of water (use the empty can for measurement) and add that to the pan too. If you like, break up the whole sardines into little pieces. Stir everything and let simmer.

5. When the sauce has reduced to half, the dish is done. Turn off the heat and serve with rice.



This dish is usually served for lunch but like what i said, I had it for breakfast. Well, brunch technically since I woke up late (almost lunchtime). Ampalaya is rich with iron and is usually prescribed to persons with anemia. It is also promotes digestion. Recent studies are now looking to ampalaya extract to help combat HIV infections. Now if that is not enough for you to try ampalaya, I don't know what will. All I know, my brunch this morning was really mighty tasty. And healthy too. ;)

Making Deokkbokki (Korean Ricecakes in Red Pepper Sauce)

Deokkbokki is a popular street snack in Korea. You can find it almost anywhere there is a food cart. Most food sellers have a hot plate of deokkbokki in its fiery red sauce, simmering away. Deokkbokki is basically long rice sticks cooked in gochujang (korean red pepper paste). The basic ingredients also include slices of fish cake, leeks, onions and sometimes whole boiled eggs.

Korean kids usually buy it in a paper cup (costs about 50 cents) and eat it with a toothpick (which they use to stab the deokk (rice cake) and shovel it into their mouths. The first time I tasted it, it was so hot that it brought tears to my eyes. But kids here are so used to the spiciness that it doesn't faze them a bit. I have to drink two gulps of water before I can eat another rice cake.

I finally had a chance to learn how to make this snack when hubby's school hosted an post-Christmas party for the kids. Stella, the school's secretary, showed me step-by-step on how to fix deokkbokki. I can't believe how simple it was. She had to fix large amounts of deokkbokki for the school event so I'll include measurements in ( ) for those who want to fix a regular amount of it.

In a flat-bottom pan, add the following (1 cup) julienned cabbage, (1/2 cup) sliced leeks, (1 tbsp minced garlic) and (about 2 cups) water. Turn the heat up to medium and let it come to simmer.

Add about (2-3 tbsp) gochujang. This is red pepper paste and can usually be found in Korean grocery stores or Asian food marts. If you need some, email me and I'll send you some authentic homemade gochujang. There's a large jar in my fridge and I swear this stuff lasts forever.

Next is a very important step, the sugar. Yes, deokkbokki has some sugar in it, this is to counter the gochujang flavor. Add about a (tablespoon or two) of sugar.

Last is beef bouillion powder. Stella says that this is optional since one can use plain salt and pepper. I used about (1 tbsp) of beef bouillon powder. Stella also added a smidgen of MSG (I know some of you are cringing about this but I use it too). You can omit this too, if you prefer. Mix everything up and continue to let it simmer.

Now cut the deokk into 2-inch pieces and the fish cake into 2X3 inch slices. If the deokk you bought is fresh (like what is available here for me) you can simply add the pieces to the pan. If they are packaged and bought from the supermarket, you would need to soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and then drained before adding to the pan. You would need about (4 cups of) sliced rice and 2 cups sliced fish cakes. Add both the rice cakes and fish cakes to the pan ( that would be simmering by now). Mix everything very well and let simmer until the sauce has reduced and become sticky.

Taste the sauce before turning off the heat. See if it needs more salt, more sugar. Or if it is too sticky, add more water to it. And if it is too watery, just let it cook a little longer. To avoid using beef bouillon, I suggest using vegetable or chicken stock. And deokk or rice cake doesn't only come in long thin tubes. Some shapes are thin oval slices, long big tubes (the size of water hoses) and even fun shapes like snowman figures. You can use any shape you want. And optional ingredients also include slices of shitakke mushrooms, sliced carrots, broccoli, etc.

Next time, I'll post another deokkbokki recipe, only this time, the sauce is soy-sauce based. :)

Ginataang Langka (Jackfruit in Coconut Milk)

This recipe reminds me so much of home. "Langka" or Jackfruit is a very common fruit in the Philippines. The fruit and the seeds are used in a variety of desserts, most notably in "Halo-Halo" and "Guinataan". The whole unripe fruit (peeled of course) is used in savory viands like "Ginataang Langka" or Green Jackfruit simmered in coconut milk.

This side dish is very rich and creamy and is a perfect foil for fried pork or fried/grilled fish. Make sure that the unripe or green jackfruit is peeled when you buy it or peeling it means a lot of sticky sap on your hands, cutting board and clothes. My grandmother used to oil her hands, knife and cutting board when she cuts unripe jackfruit. This helps get rid of the sticky sap easily (the sap also causes an unremovable stain on clothes).

One easy way is to get canned unripe jackfruit. I found one in a foreigner food store in Geumhang (about 30 minutes away by bus). The canned green jackfruit cost about $3.50 and is from Thailand.

Recipe
1 can of green jackfruit or 2 cups of peeled, fresh unripe jackfruit
1 can coconut cream or 1 packet of coconut powder mixed with half cup of warm water
1 cup of coconut milk or 1 packet of coconut powder mixed with 1 cup of warm water
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup of cooked sliced pork
1/2 onion, sliced
1 smoked fish or dried fish, boned and flaked
1 green chili pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce

1. If the jackfruit is fresh, cut into bite-size pieces and cook in boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. If your using canned, just slice into 2 inch bite size pieces.

2. In a wok or deep pan, turn up the heat to medium and add the oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add pork and stir for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the jackfruit to the pan plus the cup of coconut water. Let cook until it starts to simmer.

4. Add the flaked fish and fish sauce. You can substitute 1/2 tbsp of rock salt if you don't want to us the latter.

5. Add sliced green chili peppers to the pan and continue to simmer until it reduces to half the amount.

6. Add the coconut cream at the end and just let it simmer for a minute and then turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rice and your choice of pork or fish.

Trekkies Unite!

The latest Star Trek installment is coming. Watch for it.

Give it away...

I recently signed up with a group that exchanges items/stuff with each other for free. The name of the group is called Freecycle.

As a service to the group, I'd like to share this email from one of the group's head/founder for Freecycle Seoul:

Howdy folks

Freecycle Seoul is one of the slowest moving Freecycle groups. Let's work on this by sharing the love!

Please spread the word to friends and colleagues in Korea. Encourage people to join up and donate unwanted items.

You can help do this in a few ways:

1. Tell others about this group
2. Link to the group in forums you regularly visit
3. Mention this group on your blog
4. Whenever someone wants to 'donate' something, suggest they do it through here

Use this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seoulfreecycle

Of course, there are many ways to spread the word, but most importantly, please let people know that this group exists.

Also, there is no reason why this group should be limited to foreign residents of Seoul (and Korea). Tell your co-workers at school, or your office colleagues, that they can use this site, even with limited English.

There are only a few rules to remember:

1. Freecycle is free. No buying, selling or bartering. This is not for profit.
2. Subject lines need to follow a specific format, to make it easier for everyone to follow. eg:

Use these phrases:

OFFER: old couch (location)
TAKEN: old couch

WANTED: old couch
RECEIVED: old couch

It's that easy!

Please spread the word and help make this group bigger and more effective.

For the meantime, I've turned off message moderation, which means that your OFFERS and WANTED posts will be sent immediately. If the group becomes bigger, or people start spamming the board, then I'll turn moderation back on.

Thanks for helping make Seoul Freecycle a great community.

Cheers

David

Justin Timberlake Rocks!

If you guys haven't seen the SNL (Saturday Night Live) show last weekend, you should see it. Justin Timberlake crashes the weekend update (he was suppose to do the Thanksgiving show but couldn't so he gives a hilarious mad-cap rundown on what his show was going to be. He does great voice impressions!).

Next came a short skit with Beyonce with JT playing one of the male dancers for the "Single Ladies: Put a Ring on It" video. Watch and laugh your @ss out.



Now the guy just can't dance and sing, he can also do comedy too. I admit, now I am a fan.

One man's trash

...is another woman's treasure.

One great thing about living here in Korea is that Koreans throw out everything. You name it - TVs, electronic stuff (cameras, phones, etc.), appliances, clothes, furniture and most especially kitchenware.

Being a Filipina, I have inherited the hoarding gene and it pains to for me to see stuff in good working condition, thrown out in the recycling bin. Lemme show you the kitchen "treasures" I have rescued.

A steamer pot that has served me well. It is great for steaming dimsum, sweet potatoes, potatoes (for mashed taters), etc.

I actually found a Vision pot. Granted it is good for a single or two serving, but hey it's perfect for us.


This charming little duo I use for making ramyeon, boiling eggs, cooking chestnuts, etc.

A wide flat-bottom pot perfect for stews and veggie dishes.












So next time you pass a recycling bin, trash yard or garbage can, don't be afraid to dumpster dive. You'll probably be surprised at the treasures that you can find.

Cake-Inna-Mug

I found this great recipe while browsing online. It said bake a cake in a mug in just 3 minutes using your microwave. Now how cool is that? The neat thing about it is that there are only 5 basic ingredients that you need: flour, cocoa drink mix, egg, water and cooking oil. The recipe can be found HERE.

Here's the cake baking in my oven. See it tower majestically above the mug?



Now open the microwave after the alloted 3 minutes and watch the cake deflate back into the mug.



Carefully take the mug out using oven mitts and set it on the kitchen counter. The freshly baked cake smells awesome!



Now dump the cake on a plate and cut into thick slices to release the steam inside it. From this on you can serve it topped with ice cream, icing, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate syrup. etc.



My little one preferred whipped cream and ice cream for his toppings. And he gave it a thumbs up. :)

I won! I won!

There's a certain thrill and satisfaction when somebody tells you that you're a winner. Be it the lowest prize in the daily Lotto or some trinket from a friend. Last time I won, it was from an online Bingo game hosted by my friend - MissyK. There was very special prize for the person who chose a certain actor's name. The prize was a small stuffed polar bear and a Lei.



Then Walk this Way's Carlos Celdran hosted a game called "THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING BAKYA." Bakya in Filipino means "tacky" and also means a pair of Filipino wooden clogs (well, they used to be wooden in the past but now they're more of plastic and rubber). And after almost a month's wait, I won! My entry was a picture of woman in heeled sandals at the same time wearing socks. Ugh!



I had the winning certificate mailed to my mom so she can pick out her Happy Feet sandals. It wouldn't do good for me to have it mailed to me anyway. It's too cold for sandals here in Korea now.